


The Silver Fox and The Snow Queen  Memorial

by joanidiego51



Category: The X files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22646938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joanidiego51/pseuds/joanidiego51
Summary: Mulder and Scully reminisce about their life and face a great loss together
Relationships: family and friends - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	The Silver Fox and The Snow Queen  Memorial

**Author's Note:**

> The characters,Mulder,Scully,Skinner.William,Arleen and Kim belong to their creator Chris. 
> 
> I dedicate this work to Mitch Pileggi who brought the character,Walter Skinner to life

On a warm, sunny Memorial Day afternoon,Fox Mulder and his wife,Dana Scully sat on the porch of their unremarkable house. Mulder was crunching on Sunflower seeds and deftly spitting out the shells,aiming for a pail he had placed in front of him. “Score,” he yelled triumphantly as two hit their target. Scully smiled and rolled her eyes. Their daughter,Lily had just come out onto the porch and asked ”Dad,how many seeds do you think you have eaten in your lifetime?” Before he could answer, her mom said,” I don’t think Mathematicians have come up with that number,”nudging Mulder affectionately.Lily shook her head,running down the steps to the car. She thanked her parents for letting her use it for the day. She’s been especially excited lately as she was graduating High School in a few weeks.

Fox and Dana sat comfortably in silence,each thinking about the fun holiday weekend they had spent with their family. On Saturday, they had taken Lily,their son William,his wife Kelsey and their grandchildren,Jake and Katie to Busch Gardens. While William,Kelsey and Lily went on more adventurous rides, Mulder and Scully took the little ones to the kids’ amusement park section.The family reunited and all visited the Animal and Sesame Street exhibits. Later, they had a nice dinner and stayed at a hotel with a heated pool. They returned home on Sunday.

After sitting for awhile,Mulder took Scully’s hand and said,” After all of the difficult times we went through,sometimes I can’t believe we’re living this life. Here we are healthy and happy in our seventies,with our daughter still under our roof for a little longer and our son and his family nearby. But what I treasure the most, is still having you by my side.” Mulder pulled Scully close to him and gave her a passionate kiss,which she lovingly returned. 

They remained sitting,reminiscing about their life. Soon they would be celebrating their 17th Wedding Anniversary.Mulder always chucked at the fact that they had known and loved each other for 43 years but were only married for the last 17.Their life had never followed any common order. So many things prevented them from having a smooth journey. Mulder had been abducted, forced into hiding and then arrested on false charges. Simultaneously Scully had gotten pregnant and was without Mulder for most of her pregnancy and later was forced to give William up for adoption,while Mulder was still at large.

They finally settled in their little house, but down the road,they went through a heartbreaking separation. After four years of being apart and reconciliation,they were working together and once again a couple. Scully miraculously got pregnant with Lily despite them being in their fifties. After a healthy birth for both daughter and mother,William,then 17, came back to live with them. At this point,Mulder proposed to Scully,feeling it was finally the right time.She readily accepted and they were wed in a small ceremony the following June. So as they sat on the porch,they discussed the upcoming Graduation and Anniversary celebrations,then fell back in a contented silence.

Their reverie was interrupted by the phone ringing.Mulder said,” I’ll get it” standing up slowly and stretching as his knee cracked and went inside .Scully vaguely listened as Mulder approached the screen door.He came back out,his face ashen,his arm by his side gripping the phone. In a robotic voice he announced,”It’s Arleen. Skinner’s dead.” Scully was shocked by the news, but seeing Mulder wasn’t going to be able to continue the conversation,she took the phone from him and went back into the house to learn the details from Arleen.

Walter Skinner had become their boss in 1994, shortly after Scully joined Mulder on The X-Files. He was stern, but fair.He often butted heads with Mulder,due to Fox’s great talent in ignoring protocol and suggesting seemingly outlandish theories to solve cases. However,just as often, Skinner gave his two young agents support and protection and over the years had become a true friend to Mulder,Scully and their family  
All three of them came very close to meeting death several times while at the FBI. The last time for Walter was that same night on the dock that Scully told Mulder she was pregnant,18 years ago. He was run over by an SUV, driven by their arch enemy,Carl Spender. Ironically this man was Mulder’s father and his children’s grandfather.He recovered and became closer to the Mulder/ Scully clan. The last time they saw him alive was a month ago in April. They went out with Skinner to celebrate his 84th Birthday. He seemed healthy,in good spirits and looking forward to Lily’s Graduation party.

Arleen had been Walter’s secretary and for a time, his girlfriend. The relationship faltered and they mutually decided they were better at being friends. They continued to be fond of one another and stayed in touch

Now, on the phone with Scully,Arleen told her that Walter had a major stroke that morning and passed so quickly,there was no time to call anyone.Arleen herself had only learned because the hospital had contacted the FBI for any names of family and the call was forwarded to her. She said he had one remaining sibling,a younger brother named James,who was on his way from Boston. She told Scully she would let them know about the arrangements as soon as she heard.

Scully went back out on the porch to find Mulder sitting and staring into space.She walked over and gently put her arms around him.She whispered to him what a great friend Skinner had been to them and how they needed to celebrate his life. Mulder nodded,but didn’t say anything. Scully’s heart broke for herself and her husband. who could not process his grief.

The Memorial Service was to be held three days later. Skinner’s brother contacted them himself, and said he would love their help in gathering pictures and mementos for the service.He felt they actually knew Walter better than he did. It was going to be a brief gathering at a local funeral home. He would be cremated and buried later that afternoon next to his ex wife,Sharon. Burial at Arlington was discussed,but James felt Walter would prefer it this way.

The next couple of days were difficult,but productive. Both Mulder and Scully were going to speak briefly at the service. They visited Walter’s home, where they met his brother and helped go through his belongings deciding whether to keep,discard or donate his possessions. They also spent a lot of time organizing whatever pictures they could find from his life to make a collage. Arleen had been to the office to see if there was anything they could use from there. She brought some photos to the house and something in a bag that she gave to Mulder,saying, “ I know he would have wanted you both to have this” Mulder looked in the bag and took out the item that was inside. It was an old nameplate which said,” Assistant Director Walter Skinner” Mulder held it up to Scully and they both got tears in their eyes remembering how often they sat in chairs facing that nameplate.

Thursday came and people gathered for the Service. It wasn’t a large crowd,but everyone there had some kind of relationship with Skinner. In attendance were, his brother James,Mulder, Scully,Lily,William,Kelsey, ex FBI director Kersh,Arleen and Kim,another secretary Walter once had. Surprisingly, John Doggett had come down from New York City. Scully and Mulder fondly greeted their old colleague. The only other person was a lone Vietnam Vet who remembered Walter. He expressed that he thought it was very fitting that Skinner died on Memorial Day. James had requested that donations to Wounded Warriors would be preferred in lieu of flowers.

At the service,James spoke lovingly of the brother he grew up with,in a family where feelings were rarely discussed, but love underscored their childhood. Arleen tearfully told some sweet stories about Walter and how she was so glad they stayed in each other’s lives. Scully spoke her respect and love for the man, and about how often he had gone to bat for her and Mulder. He had been such a supportive friend to her during the difficult times when Mulder was missing and forced into isolation. She says he will be missed as a presence in their family’s lives.

Scully returns to her seat to find Mulder looking serious and his legs slightly shaking. He is the last speaker. Scully puts her hand on his leg and squeezes it, He makes eye contact with her and she smiles and nods. He walks up behind the podium that has been set up. He looks around at the small crowd, somewhat nervously, but then sees Scully,William and Lily holding hands and giving him looks of love and encouragement. 

He clears his throat and begins,  
“I met Walter Skinner 42 years ago. I took one look at this giant,bald man and thought, I’m in trouble” This drew quiet laughter from the crowd. Over the years we learned,not just how to put up with each other,but to like and respect one another as well. Skinner saw something in me that, with the exception of my beloved wife Dana Scully,very few others did. We had our battles,verbal and sometimes physical. But in the end, he was a great source of strength and protection for us. He never stopped looking for me when I was abducted.He helped me escape from prison when I was wrongly charged. As Scully said, he was a great support for her during those dark times. “Walter, I never thanked you enough for that.” He helped us find William,our son,getting critically injured in the process.. He was the first person that was in authority to approve of mine and Scully’s relationship and the best man at our wedding.  
Walter,you were a stronghold in so many areas of my life and a beloved family friend. It’s hard to imagine a world without you in it.” Mulder returned to his seat noticing the tears in many people’s eyes.

The internment at the Cemetery was short and emotional. A minister said a few words. Each person was given a red, white or blue carnation to put on the grave.The veteran friend played Taps. After that, the crowd quietly walked to their cars. Scully,Mulder and Lily kissed Willian and Kelsey goodbye and drove home.

Later that evening,Scully made coffee and brought some to Mulder, who was sitting out on the Porch. He was holding Walter’s nameplate and was turning it over in his hands. Scully put the mugs down and walked over to Mulder. He looked up at her with his lip slightly trembling and his eyes moist. She realized that he was finally ready to express his feelings. Scully put her arms around him and he buried his head against her. She held her husband as he softly cried into her shoulder,grieving for the man who had been his supervisor,his mentor,his champion,and his last living male friend on Earth.

.


End file.
